Joe Draime
Let me start by saying, Saquon Barkley is an explosive talent. That is an undeniable truth. BUT, the Browns should avoid him at number one at all costs. My biggest issue with Barkley is that he is not an every down back. He does not control the game from the backfield the way you would expect a number one overall pick should. In 2017, only twice did Barkley have more than 20 carries.
Image: (The New York Post)
Let’s analyze some more stats. Against Michigan, he went for 108 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown. He also had 3 receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. However, he gained 69 of his 108 yards on one carry, and 42 of his 53 receiving yards came on one reception. So, when you omit the touchdown run, his total is brought to 2.79 yards per carry. Against Northwestern he went for 75 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. 53 of those 75 yards came on one carry. That means he averaged 1.38 yards on his other 15 carries.
There is a disturbing trend in Barkley’s numbers, indicating that he is purely a homerun hitter. Based on his production in the run and pass game, he resembles Christian McCaffrey far more than a Zeke Elliott or a Leonard Fournette. He is a very explosive runner with excellent open field vision. But, I think that the Adrian Peterson comparisons are horribly incorrect. Barkley’s game is the outside run game, as he is not a dominant runner between the tackles.
Image: (Bleacher Report)
Also, he does not have the power of a Peterson or a Fournette. He prefers to make moves in the open field over running through defenders. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but everyone he plays against in the NFL will be at his level of athlete.
I think Barkley is an excellent player, but he is not a good enough every down back to be worthy of the number one overall pick.
As Always, GO BROWNS
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Featured Image: (Real Ball Insiders)
